From July 1, 1867 to July 1st, 2017, a pretty monumental day, as we all know, it is Canada’s 150th Birthday today! We live in an exquisite, diversified, peaceful and stunning country that I cannot even begin to describe how fortunate I feel to be born and raised in. I think Canada’s Big Ol’ Day deserves some recognition and celebration don’t you agree? The only way I want to honor this day is through food, simple, raw, locally grown, sustainable Canadian ingredients and made with love food, because food is what gathers us together in moments of celebration. So, keeping it fresh, simplistic and color coordinated, I bring to you my Canadian inspirited Maple Oat Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait and let’s admire those Canadian views!

Prairie View Hike, Kananaskis, Alberta

I feel like the hype up to this day has been ongoing for a while now with so many perks along the way, I mean who doesn’t love free admission to National Parks, get out there and explore your backyard, literally and exponentially! I initially though I wanted to bring to your plates a grand recipe for Canada Day, something elaborate, fitting for 150 years as a country, our country. But then it hit me, as I was watering my garden this morning some beautifully rich red stalks of rhubarb glistened in the sun, the day prior I picked out a basket of perfectly sweet Canadian grown strawberries and I had a tub of B.C. made Tree Island yogurt (hands down the best cream top yogurt ever!), keep it simple and let our produce shine. A few ingredients that proudly state, grown/made in Canada, turned into a scrumptious Maple Oat Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait, it felt so comfortable and perfect for today, I hope you all feel the love in this recipe and can kick back with my parfait in hand, watch the sun rise or set over mountains or lakes, in your backyard or wherever you may be and throw a Happy Canada Day Eh Cheer!

I see a parfait as a every meal type of deal, they can be a great start to your day, filling and energizing, they can be a mid meal snack in mini version or they can fulfill that sweet craving for dessert! There is something about layers in a clear glass and seeing my spoon scoop up all that goodness that is so satisfying… anyone else think so?! Well, my Maple Oat Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait is really pretty simple to whip up and layer up. One saute pan, a few ingredients and a tall glass with an elegant long spoon, you’re set (I guess the elegant long spoon is optional :)) Look at those white and red layers of yumminess and of course that Canadian maple syrup taste to bring it all together. You can make a double batch of the compote and maple oat crumble and have yourself a couple of days worth of parfait ingredients on hand for a quick meal as well. The compote keeps in the fridge well and even works wonderfully as a jam or top your oats as well, the options are endless. How do I make such a parfait masterpiece myself you ask? Simple as these steps!

You will need the following:

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote:

2 cups chopped Canadian strawberries (I got some B.C. strawberries)

1 1/2 cup fresh diced rhubarb (picked from my garden this morning)

1 tbsp Canadian maple syrup

2 tbsp water

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch cardamom

Pinch of salt

Maple Oat Crumble:

1/2 cup oats (I use Dan-D Pak Canadian Quick Oats)

4 dates pitted and diced

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 tbsp Canadian maple syrup

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch salt

1 – 500 gram tub of Tree Island Cream Top Yogurt from grass fed dairy farms in B.C. (I use their plain or honey cream top yogurt, I have found it at Planet Organic, Community Foods and Bridgeland Market in Calgary, it is divine!)

Throw all your compote ingredients into a saute pan over medium heat and let the strawberries and rhubarb soften. It’ll start to smell like fruit and maple heaven in no time and melt together into a delicious compote after approximately 8-10 minutes, pour into a bowl and place in refrigerator while making your maple oat crumble!

In the same saute pan throw together your crumble ingredients except the maple syrup. Allow the oats and almonds to toast up and the dates to soften, after approximately 5 minutes of toasting add your maple syrup and mix well. Saute for another 5 minutes until a nicely toasted crumble comes together.

Time to layer up, my favorite part! Grab a glass or mason jar of your choice and layer some compote on the bottom, then add a layer of yogurt, then add some maple oat crumble, more compote, yogurt and finish off with a thick topping of maple oat crumble and fresh strawberries, stand back and admire your piece of art! Then scoop it up in satisfaction with that long elegant spoon, haha! YUM!

Now I think that this is a recipe to celebrate Canada with, don’t ya think?! Look at those gorgeous layers of red and white! I hope you all get a moment today to celebrate in a way that is meaningful to you, whatever that may be. Happy 150th Birthday to what is simply the best country in the world! Tag me on Facebook or Instagram @apinchofnurse and let me see how your recipe turned out! XOXO

Can you believe we are into another week of June, why do summer months always melt away before our eyes!? I’ve been ridiculously busy as my husband and I made the official leap into adulthood and FINALLY bought our first home… ahhh! With the insanity pursuing and a never ending to do list looming over, healthy and quick dinners are the key to keep me level headed and on top of it all. As you can probably tell with my latest posts on Instagram and Facebook, I have a slight, okay massive, obsession with glorified nutrient packed bowls of wholesomeness. Continuing on with my ode to Canada for it’s upcoming big bash birthday, I am putting the spotlight on our community grown produce and supporting our local vendors! So what’s hearty, nutritious, a super food and most importantly… grows in and tastes better with a touch of Canadian frost? The fabulous kale! You guys have got to try my Blackened Salmon and Crispy Canadian Kale Bowls, it is ready in under 30 minutes, get’s you outside to grill and hits all the check marks on the delicious, balanced and nourishing aspects, and look how pretty it is!

With all the hype surrounding kale lately, I think we are all aware by now that kale is truly an immensely nutrient baring and versatile vegetable, the king of green leafy vegetables I’d say! Kale comes in many assortments, from deep tuscan green, curly leafed, baby, even purple, the list goes on, all unique and delicious in their own ways. I see kale as being the perfect Canadian vegetable as you can grow it from early Spring into late fall, it doesn’t need a lot of attention, in fact, it gets sweeter with a touch of frost, I don’t think we could ask for anything more foolproof in our Albertan gardens, eh? I have to say, my straight up favorite kale is from a local Albertan grower, Gull Valley Greenhouses, located in the Calgary Farmer’s Market. They sell massive bags of green curly leaf kale where the leaves are soft with a subtle sweetness, while still providing that nutty leafy kale profile, mmm. I go through two bags a week of this stuff, at least! I also have kale in my garden and it’s my least demanding vegetable, no fuss!

I’ve had kale prepared in countless ways, in my salads, smoothies, sauteed, baked… I thought it was time to change the tempo and try it on the grill, oh goodness, we’ve all been missing out! I was grilling up some gorgeous salmon with my blackening seasoning and thought, why not blacken my kale as well? I ran into the house, grabbed a giant leaf of kale, tossed it in lime and a touch of oil and massaged it with my blackening seasoning and threw it on the top rack of the grill, closed that lid and hoped for the best! About 10 minutes later I had a crispy, fragrant and stunning leaf of kale that tasted even better than I could have imagined! What else can I blacken I asked myself!? Sweet potatoes! Well, you get the point, I tossed it all in my flavor packed blackening seasoning (that seriously tastes incredible on everything) and threw it all in a bowl, topped off with fresh ribbons of silky zucchini, sweet red tomatoes for some acidity (and the red splash of color for Canada!), as well as avocado (a clear must) and called it dinner!

Blackened and grilling!

This dinner bowl is simple yet hits you with so many enticing and spicy flavor profiles, the salmon has a crispy blackened layer and then melts in your mouth, the kale is crunchy and reminiscent of a large chip! The blackened sweet potatoes are creamy on the inside with golden brown skin and we all need more avocado in our life… so throw that on top, you guys, we have got ourselves, Blacked Salmon and Crispy Kale Canadian Bowls of goodness for din din! Join me in my dinner bowl infatuation, you’ll understand why I can’t stop! Go grab your kale or try growing it yourself this season, you have plenty of time to harvest this magnificent super food. Check out the recipe and let me know what you think, sorry if you run out of bowls… Have a beautiful week everyone! XOXO